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Cuban Minister of Agriculture Visits the United States

Cuba Strategies Inc03 June 2016

A Cuban delegation, headed by the Minister of Agriculture of Cuba, Gustavo Rodriguez Rollero, concluded today his visit to the United States, at the invitation of the Department of Agriculture of that country.

According to the report of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cuba, the Cuban Minister held meetings with Thomas Vilsack, Secretary of Agriculture, as well as the deputy secretary, Michael Scuse; and with the Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker. The Cuban delegation visited places of interest related to the production and research in the state of Iowa and there they exchanged with farmers and experts.

Both agriculture holders agreed to continue negotiations for specific instruments on cooperation in animal health and plant health matters. This would also honor a Memorandum of Understanding for Cooperation in Agriculture and other related spheres, which was signed in Havana on March 21, during the visit of President Obama.

The exchange in the field of Agriculture has been very limited due to the regulations of the US trade embargo on Cuba. US producers who sell products to the island can only receive payments in cash, which affects their competitiveness; equally, Cuban agricultural products can not be sold in US territory. Many producers, such as Louisiana State, have been working for years to promote the lifting of these restrictions and the elimination of the Embargo in full.

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Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker held a meeting with Cuban Minister of Agriculture in Washington, June 3, 2016. Source: Twitter account of the Ministry of Commerce